Electrical connector

ABSTRACT

An electrical connector is disclosed and comprises a body part which is preferably formed as an extrusion and has a pair of contact parts secured thereto. Each contact part has a contact arm for engaging an electrical component such as a vehicle instrument and further has a contact surface located adjacent one of a pair of resilient legs formed on the body part whereby the contact surface and the leg cooperate to engage a conductive track on an insulating panel and make electrical connection therewith.

United States Patent Raynor et al.

' 1 Nov. 7, 1972 [s41 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR [72] Inventors: TerenceRobert Raynor; Peter Charles Terence Abbott, both of London, England[73] Assignee: AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.

[22] Filed: Feb. 1, 1971 21 Appl. No.1 111,420

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 339/119 L, 125L,l26,128,127,144,145, 176 L; 313/318; 180/90; 240/8-16; 317/101,

2,884,609 4/1959 Fraser et al. ..339/17 D 2,922,978 1/1960 Engel..339/128 X 3,308,417 3/1967 l-lammell et al ..339/128 X 2,936,4375/1960 Fraser et a1. ..339/17 D 3,354,423 11/1967 Garcia ..339/128FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 825,697 12/ 1959 Great Britain ..339/17R Primary Examiner-Marvin A. Champion Assistant Examiner-Terrell P.Lewis Attorney-William J. Keating, Ronald D. Grefe, Gerald K. Kita,Frederick W. Raring, Jay L. Seitchik and John P. Vandenburg [57 ABSTRACTAn electrical connector is disclosed and comprises a body part which ispreferably formed as an extrusion and has a pair of Contact partssecured thereto. Each contact part has a Contact arm for engaging anelectrical component such as a vehicle instrument and further has aContact surface located adjacent one of a [56] Reterences Cited pair ofresilient legs formed on the body part whereby UNITED STATES PATENTS theContact surface and the leg cooperate to engage a conductive track on aninsulating panel and make 3,049,689 8/ 1962 Clarkson ..339/176 L Xelectrical connection therewith 3,017,599 l/l962 Loesch ..180/90 X2,953,769 9/1960 Woofter et a1. ......339/l7 E X 1 Claim, 2 DrawingFigures 22 W ZE /5 'M A J0 l 1 l 1 1 1 /7 2/ 1 /9 l 24 ELECTRICALCONNECTOR The present invention relates to an electrical connector formaking electrical contact between a conductive track on an insulatingpanel and an electrical component or instrument.

It is sometimes difficult to obtain a reliable electrical connectionbetween the conductors of an insulating panel e.g. a printed circuitboard and associated instruments and lights mounted on a motor vehicledashboard.

In US. patent application Ser. No. 111,421 assigned to the same assigneeas the present application, there is described and claim an electricalconnector for electrically connecting an electrical component and aconductive track on an insulating panel having an aperture to receivethe connector, comprising a body part extruded from resilientelectrically insulating material and having generally parallel legsprojecting from one of a pair of opposite surfaces of the body partadapted to pass through the panel aperture latchingly to engage theconnector and the panel, a bore extending between the opposite surfacesof the body part for receiving the electrical component, and anelectrically conductive contact part mounted on the body part overlyingat least a portion of of one of the opposite surfaces for contacting apanel conductive track and having a resilient Contact arm to engage acontact element of the electrical component when received in the bore ofthe body part.

Preferably the contact part overlies the surface of the body part remotefrom the legs and has two resilient contact arms projecting above thatsurface and overlying the bore, the ends of the contact part engagingopposite ends of the body part.

It is sometimes desirable to interconnect an electrical component andtwo conductive tracks on an insulating panel in order that reception ofthe electrical component in the connector will complete an electricalcircuit.

An electrical connector for electrically connecting an electricalcomponent and a conductive track on an insulating panel having anaperture to receive the connector, according to the present invention,comprises, a body part extruded from resilient electrically insultingmaterial and having a pair of generally parallel legs projecting fromone of a pair of opposite surfaces of the body part adapted to passthrough the panel aperture latchingly to engage the connector and thepanel, a bore extending between the opposite surfaces of the body partfor receiving the electrical component, and two electrically conductivecontact parts mounted on the body part overlying at least a portion ofone of the opposite surfaces for contacting a panel conductive track andeach having a resilient contact arm extending between the legs of thebody part to engage a contact element of the electrical component whenreceived in the bore of the body part.

An electrical assembly according to the present invention comprises aconnector, an apertured insulating panel having a conductive track. andan electrical component, the legs of the connector being received in thepanel aperture with a contact part of the connector in electricalengagement with the conductive track, and the resilient contacts inelectrical engagement with the contact element of the instrument.

The present invention will now be described by way of example withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a median diagrammatic section of an electrical connectormounted on a board carrying a flat conductor; and

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1.

The electrical connector 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a body part11 made from an extruded strip of resilient, electrically insulatingmaterial such as polypropylene or nylon, and a pair of contacts 12formed from a strip of electrically conductive material such as brass.

The body part 11 is generally rectangular in plan view and has a pair ofsubstantially parallel spaced apart legs 17 extending outwardly from onesurface 18. Each leg 17 is formed at its free end with an outwardlyprojecting rib 17a defining a circuit board edge receiving recess 19between the rib 17a and the surface 18. A through hole 21 extends, at aposition between the legs 17, from the surface 18 to an opposite surface22. Each side of the body part 11 is formed with a pair of spaced apartparallel extensions 20 (FIG. 2) which extend outwardly from the bodypart 11 and form between them a recess 23 which serves to position acontact 12 on the body part 11.

' Each Contact 12 is formed with a pair of substantially parallel arms13 and 16. The arm 13 extends between one pair of the extensions 20 andis seated in the recess 23. The free end portion 14 of the contact 12 isof arcuate cross-section and is turned inwardly to cover a part of thesurface 18 and to make Contact with a conductor 25 on a board 24. Thearm 16 extends through the hole 21 and is held against one wall of thehole 21 by the free end of the arm which is curved outwardly about thefree end of the leg 17.

The connector 10 is mounted on a printed circuit board 24 by pushing thelegs 17 of the connector through a hole 26 in the board 24. Theresilient legs 17 of the connector are bent inwards as the ribs 17a passthrough the hole 26 and return to their normal position upon completionof the insertion operation. The connector 10 is thus locked in positionon the board 24 by the ribs 17a which also urge the conductor 25 on theboard 24 and the intumed free ends 14 of the arms 13 together thusensuring good electrical contact between the conductors 25 and thecontacts 12.

The board 24 can be arranged immediately behind the dashboard (notshown) of a vehicle with the legs 17 of the body part 11 extendingtowards the dashboard. A capless lamp bulb (not shown) may be positionedin the connector 10 in the board 24 to act as a warning light showing onthe dashboard, each bulb Contact being in contact with one of thecontact parts 12. A conductive path is thus made between the conductors25 of the board 24 and the lamp bulb. The connector 10 can alternativelybe used to connect a contact pin of an instrument mounted on a vehicledashboard to a printed circuit board. In this case the two contacts 12may be used to connect the instrument contact pin to a single conductor25.

It is possible to reduce the width of the contacts 12 and to displacethem laterally, one towards one end of the connector and the othertowards the other end so 1. An electrical connector for electricallyconnecting an electrical component and a conductive track on aninsulating panel having an aperture to receive the connector, theconnector comprising a body part of generally constant cross-sectionalconfiguration, permitting extrusion thereof, and formed from resilientelectrically insulating material, a pair of generally parallel legsprojecting from one of a pair of opposite surfaces of the body part,each said leg having a recess for engaging the panel aperture uponpassing said legs through the aperture, a bore extending between theopposite surfaces of the body part for receiving the electricalcomponent, and a pair of electrically conductive contact parts mountedon the body part overlying at least a portion of the surface of the bodypart remote from the legs, each said contact part having a contactsurface for contacting a panel conductive track and further having aresilient contact arm extending through said bore between the legs ofthe body part to engage a contact element of the electrical componentwhen received in the bore of the body part, the free end of theresilient contact arm being curved outwardly away from said bore forengaging a leg of the body part to secure the conductive contact part tothe body part.

1. An electrical connector for electrically connecting an electricalcomponent and a conductive track on an insulating panel having anaperture to receive the connector, the connector comprising a body partof generally constant cross-sectional configuration, permittingextrusion thereof, and formed from resilient electrically insulatingmaterial, a pair of generally parallel legs projecting from one of apair of opposite surfaces of the body part, each said leg having arecess for engaging the panel aperture upon passing said legs throughthe aperture, a bore extending between the opposite surfaces of the bodypart for receiving the electrical component, and a pair of electricallyconductive contact parts mounted on the body part overlying at least aportion of the surface of the body part remote from the legs, each saidcontact part having a contact surface for contacting a panel conductivetrack and further having a resilient contact arm extending through saidbore between the legs of the body part to engage a contact element ofthe electrical component when received in the bore of the body part, thefree end of the resilient contact arm being curved outwardly away fromsaid bore for engaging a leg of the body part to secure the conductivecontact part to the body part.